My senior dog has mammary tumors, isn't eating, and coughs. How can I help?

Assuming Kara is in good health otherwise - which should be established with blood work and x-rays of the chest, to ensure that the tumor hasn't metastasized - then I would recommend proceeding with surgery. Mammary tumors can be quite invasive and aggressive, but depending on the grade surgery can be curative. Just because a dog is old, it doesn't necessarily mean they can't have anesthesia - you just have to take precautions, and find a vet who is capable of taking special care. I would also get a definitive diagnosis as to what the mass is before making any decisions, There are lots of benign lumps that grow all over dogs' bodies, and just because this one is in the mammary area, it isn't necessarily an aggressive cancer. A fine needle aspiration biopsy can usually tell you what these are.

This could be a mammary tumor and it may be causing other changes that could be severe. If you do not have any money to fix her and she appears to be suffering, I would consider letting her go if she is in pain and not doing well. Otherwise, you could look into Care Credit to help pay for any veterinary care that is needed for her. If you are able to get approved for Care Credit, I would have a veterinarian take a look at her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made.

I think that with the symptoms you have described, the best thing to do would be to have Angel examined by a vet. There are hundreds of things that could cause weight loss and/or a cough in a dog, including cancer, heartworm disease, infection, bad teeth, intestinal parasites, and so on. If you are upfront with the vet about your financial limitations, then often we can work in a step-wise fashion to limit the amount of money we use up in the diagnostic portion of the visit. Many things can be uncovered with a simple physical exam and thorough review of Angel's medical history. Trying random OTC or at-home treatments for dental disease or coughing may just waste money that could have been used for vet care. You may look for low-cost vet clinics in your area, contact shelters or rescue groups that may have grants available to help with vet care, or look into other financing options. https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-smart-solutions-for-pet-care-financing/

I am afraid there is really nothing that you can do for her other than giving her a lot of TLC and watching the tumor. Should it open up and ulcerate it will cause infection and that may be the time to say good bye. If you think she may be in pain, you can ask your vet for some pain medicine for her. I am so sorry, but 15 years is a grand old age and you took good care of her.

I would recommend that you have Shanova Maye checked out by a vet. Dogs can get mammary (or breast) cancer and it can look lumpy or cystic. Some types of cancer are metastatic and can make the dog very ill. There are lots of other causes for her poor appetite, including stress, dietary intolerance or indiscretion, intestinal parasites, GI blockage, gastroenteritis, bacterial or viral infection, IBD, pancreatitis, among others. Your vet will do a thorough physical exam and may recommend diagnostics such as bloodwork and x-rays so they can get a complete picture of would could be ailing Shanova.

Eighteen years is quite old for a dog, so I understand why you may be hesitant to go through any procedures that may decrease her quality of life. At this age it's uncertain how much longer she will live (with or without the tumor) and it seems like she may have other problems,or possible spread of the tumor that would not give a favorable prognosis for recovering from surgery. I would definitely want to solve the problem of not eating before recommending surgery for the tumor. It was helpful to see the notes and lab work, but I would need to further evaluate her and discuss this more in order to give you some more helpful advice. I think it would be worthwhile to discuss this with your veterinarian again and ask what they would do if it were their dog. This may help you with your decision. I hope that helps and Candy gets better soon.

I am sorry, but there is no cure for cancer. Small tumors can be removed surgically and then undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy depending on the type of tumor and if clean margins were made during surgery. If this is not an option for Hundoll, then he would be considered for hospice-type care. I would recommend that you have have him evaluated by a vet for pain. You can feed him whatever he wants at this point. Acupuncture may help with some of the pain, but it won't be able to stop the growth of the tumor. You may be able to find a vet in your area that uses herbal remedies, but they need to be prescribed after careful examination of the dog.